Managing Gifts of Digital Media

ABSTRACT

An individual may wish to make a gift of digital media to a designated recipient. The digital media may be previously purchased by the individual or may be new, unused digital media purchased specifically as a gift for the recipient. The sender of the gift sends a gift notification. The sender is then verified to ensure that the sender is authorized to make the gift by matching an identifier of the digital media with an identifier associated with the sender. The digital media may be associated with a set of rights and privileges. Further rights and privileges associated with the digital media may be offered to the recipient.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention generally relates to gifts of digital media. Morespecifically, the present invention relates to managing gifts of digitalmedia.

2. Description of the Related Art

Digital media encompasses a range of audio, video, video games, andother software applications. Digital media is typically sold ortransferred via download over a communications network or on some formof digital storage media including optical discs such as a compact disc(CD) or digital versatile disc (DVD) as well as non volatile memory suchas flash memory. Initial purchasers of digital media, either through adownload or on a storage medium, buy the digital media new, unused, anddirectly from the publisher, manufacturer, or authorized retailer.Following acquisition and play of the digital media, an initialpurchaser may lose interest in the digital media. Some initialpurchasers may only desire to have the digital media for a short periodof time, until they view a movie once or twice, or ‘beat’ a particulargame. Subsequent to achieving that short term goal, the initialpurchaser may wish to resell, swap, rent, lend, or otherwise give awaythe digital media to others for their use or enjoyment.

Various intermediaries may facilitate the transfer to a secondary user,including intermediate secondary users (e.g., another short-term user),resellers (e.g., eBay, GameStop), lenders (e.g., a public library), orlessors of the media (e.g., GameFly). Rather than having to buy a newcopy of a video game or other digital content on a corresponding digitalstorage medium (e.g., a DVD), a secondary user is provided with a copythat has been previously owned and/or used. Because the digital mediahas been previously owned or has been used by any number of secondaryusers when borrowed or rented, the price of an item of digital media onthe secondary market is generally lower than those prices paid byinitial purchasers.

Such secondary markets can be an important part of the distribution anddevelopment lifecycle. For example, secondary markets may be useful topublishers and authors because secondary markets may allow for promotiona particular title or series through word-of-mouth publicity or viralmarketing. These grass-root efforts allow for sampling of lesser-knowntitles and publishers and may contribute to building future dedicationto or interest in the titles or publisher. Secondary markets also allowfor physical media to be recycled for use by multiple users who mightnot otherwise make the investment in a particular game platform if thereis a lack of available content at a moderate price.

Notwithstanding the importance of the secondary user market, secondaryusers—and parties that facilitate secondary purchases—can cause asignificant financial loss to the publisher, manufacturer, and/orauthorized retailer of initial copies of digital media. Secondary usersare usually motivated by the lower purchase or rental prices offered bysecondary markets. Secondary users may not desire to acquire a catalogof content or to re-watch or replay a particular movie or game overtime. These considerations and corresponding effects become even morepronounced as the costs of producing content and digital media increase.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Embodiments of the present invention include managing gifts of digitalmedia. A sender of such a gift designates the digital media to be givento a particular recipient. The digital media may have been previouslypurchased and/or registered by the individual. Alternatively, thedigital media may be new and unused and purchased specifically as a giftfor the recipient. The sender may use a client device to send a giftnotification to a server that verifies that the sender is authorized tomake the gift. Authorization may be based on matching an identifier ofthe digital media with an identifier associated with the sender. Thetransfer of the digital media may then be initiated and recorded inmemory of the server. The transferred digital media may be associatedwith a set of rights and privileges. Further rights and privilegesassociated with the digital media may be offered to the recipient. Asender may also send the recipient a gift of credit that can be appliedtoward a purchase of the additional rights and privileges.

An exemplary method for managing gifts of digital media includesreceiving a gift notification concerning a gift of digital media to arecipient designated by the sender of the gift notification, verifyingthat the sender is authorized to give the digital media, initiating thetransfer of the digital media to the designated recipient, storinginformation regarding the transfer of the digital media to thedesignated recipient in the memory of the server, and sending a messagefrom the server to the designated recipient concerning the transfer ofthe digital media. The message may include an offer concerning rights orprivileges associated with the digital media.

An exemplary system for managing gifts of digital media may include afirst client device associated with a sender of the digital media, aserver for verifying that the sender is authorized to make a gift of thedigital media, and a second client device associated with a recipientdesignated by the sender. The client device associated with the sendersends a gift notification to the server. To verify that the sender isauthorized to send the digital media, the server matches an identifierof the designated digital media with an identifier associated with thesender and/or sender client device. The transfer may then be initiatedand recorded in memory. A message concerning the gift is sent from theserver to the second client device, which is associated with thedesignated recipient of the gift.

A further claimed embodiment includes a computer-readable storage mediafor managing gifts of digital media. Embodied on the storage medium is aprogram, the execution of which by a processor provides a method formanaging gifts of digital media in general accordance with that methodpreviously set forth above.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 illustrates an exemplary server-client environment where adigital device is in communication with a server via a communicationsnetwork.

FIG. 2A illustrates a user database accessible to the server of FIG. 1.

FIG. 2B illustrates a media database accessible to the server of FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a flowchart illustrating an exemplary method for managing agift of digital media.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Embodiments of the present invention allow for managing transfers ofdigital media from a sender to a recipient. Digital media may includedownloadable media, streaming media, digital media stored in a storagemedium (e.g., CD or DVD), and various combinations of the foregoing.Such transfers may be referred to as “gifts” and may encompasstransactions involving sales purchases, trades/exchanges, and renting inaddition to non-reciprocated transfers. Regardless of the motivations ofthe sender, the sender may wish to make a gift (i.e., transfer) ofcertain digital media to a certain recipient. To effectuate thetransfer, the sender is verified as being authorized to give the digitalmedia. The gift may affect the rights or privileges associated with thedigital medium in cases where such rights or privileges depend onwhether the recipient receives new, unused digital media or previouslyused or played digital media.

The management of such gifts of digital media may occur in aclient-server environment. FIG. 1 illustrates an exemplary client-serverenvironment 100 where client devices 140A and 140B are in communicationwith a server 160 via a communications network 110. A digital storagemedium 120 having a unique medium identifier 130 may be played on theclient device 140A. Each client device 140A and 140B has a unique deviceidentifier: 150A and 150B, respectively. The client device 140A maycommunicate information regarding both the client device 140A and thedigital storage medium 120 to server 160 over communication network 110.

The server 160 of FIG. 1 is in further communication with a userdatabase 170 and a media database 180, which may be local or remote tothe server 160. Server 160 can access stored data in both the userdatabase 170 and the media database 180 and provide that data, orinformation derived from or related to the same, to client devices 140Aand/or 140B. Conversely, the server 160 may receive information fromclient devices 140A or 140B and store the same in user database 170 ormedia database 180 as is appropriate.

Communication network 110 may be a local, proprietary network (e.g.,intranet) and/or may be a part of a larger wide-area network. Thenetwork 110 may be a local area network (LAN), which may becommunicatively coupled to a wide area network (WAN) such as theInternet. The Internet is a broad network of interconnected computersand servers allowing for the transmission and exchange of InternetProtocol (IP) data between users connected through a network serviceprovider. Examples of network service providers are the public switchedtelephone network, a cable service provider, a provider of digitalsubscriber line (DSL) services, or a satellite service provider. Network110 allows for communication between the various components ofserver-client environment 100.

The digital medium 120 of FIG. 1 may include a media storage device suchas a CD or DVD. Digital media can include information and content thatmay be accessed on digital medium 120 and played on client devices 140Aor 140B (e.g., a file of content rather than the storage medium for thatcontent). Digital media may include portions of data or locked or‘secure’ data whereby further information and/or interaction with server160 may be required in order to unlock, access, or play that data. Insome instances, the information or content may be downloaded overnetwork 110. In such an instance, the content may be stored in memory atthe client device 140A or in some other form of storage. The downloadedcontent may still embody a unique identifier or other information todelineate one download from another (e.g., watermarks, file headers, DRMwrappers).

Each digital medium 120 is associated with a medium identifier 130 touniquely identify the digital medium 120. The medium identifier 130 maybe physically stamped on a CD-ROM, DVD-ROM, or associated documentation(thereby requiring manual entry of the information by a user), and/or bepart of the information stored in the digital medium 120 and readable bythe client devices 140A or 140B. The medium identifier 130 may beassigned to the digital medium 120 by a manufacturer or publisher in thecourse of producing the digital medium 120. In the case of downloadedcontent, and as noted above, the identifier 130 may be a watermark, fileheader, DRM wrappers, or some other indicia embedded in or otherwiseassociated with the downloaded content file.

Client devices 140A and 140B of FIG. 1 are electronic devices, such asan electronic gaming system, a general-purpose computer, a set-top box,a Blu-Ray player, or a portable gaming device that may access thecontents of the digital storage medium 120. Each client device 140 mayalso be configured to access data from other storage media, such asmemory cards or disk drives as may be appropriate in the case ofdownloaded content. Client devices 140A and 140B include standardcomputing components such as network and media interfaces,computer-readable storage (memory), and processors for executinginstructions that may be stored in memory.

Each client device 140 is associated with a unique device identifier150. During a use of the client device 140, a user may register (eithermanually or through an automatic exchange of data over network 110) theclient device 140 (and device identifier 150) with the server 160. Theclient device 140 may be registered and identified thereafter byreference to the device identifier 150, a corresponding user identifier,or both. The server 160 stores a device identifier 150, a correspondinguser identifier (or identifiers), or both in the user database 170. Afirst-time user of client device 140 may be prompted by the server 160to enter further user information, which may also be stored in userdatabase 170. Either the device identifier 150 or a user identifier maybe used to identify a particular user.

Information may be sent from the client device 140 over the network 110to the server 160 for storage in one or more databases, including theuser database 170 and/or the media database 180. The server 160 canlater access data stored in either the user database 170 or the mediadatabase 180 for various purposes including providing rewards toclassifications of purchasers of content. Databases 170 and 180 arediscussed in more detail in conjunction with FIGS. 2A-B. Server 160,like client devices 140A and 140B, includes standard computingcomponents such as network and media interfaces, computer-readablestorage (memory), and processors for executing instructions that may bestored in memory.

FIG. 2A illustrates a user database 170 accessible to the server 160 ofFIG. 1. The user database 170 includes user information 210 with respectto a multitude of users. Stored user information 210 may include name,user identifier, address, preferences, one or more device identifiers ofdigital client devices associated with the user, and one or more mediaidentifiers of media associated with the user or a device. The userdatabase 170 may receive information and/or updates concerning usersbased on a user registration, registration of a new digital device 140,registration of new digital media, including a digital medium 120,association with digital storage media, and corresponding mediumidentifier 130, registration for a service, and requests for updates.

FIG. 2B illustrates a media database 180 accessible to the server 160 ofFIG. 1. The media database 180 includes media information 220 concerninga variety of digital media. Each digital medium 120 may be listed bymedium identifier 130. Information concerning a particular digitalmedium 120 may include title, publisher, one or more digital clientdevices 140 that have played the digital medium 120, the number of timesthe medium 120 has been played, the number of times a particular medium120 has been transferred or exchanged, or combinations of the same. Themedia database 180 may be populated with information from userregistrations, from publishers, or a combination of the foregoing.

When a media identifier 130 is received by server 160, media database180 and media information 220 are surveyed to determine whether theparticular identifier 130 has previously been registered in the database180. If the database 180 lacks media information 220 corresponding tothat particular media identifier 130, then the system presumes that thecorresponding digital storage medium 120 is newly purchased and is beingregistered for the first time The medium identifier 130 is alsoassociated with the digital device 140 that played the digital medium120 for the first time. A user associated with the digital device 140 isthen characterized as a purchaser of the digital medium 120 and grantedcertain capabilities as further described below.

If the medium identifier 130 received from the digital device 140 hasbeen previously registered in media database 180, then a determinationmay be made as to whether the digital device 140 that is playing thecorresponding digital medium 120 is that digital device 140 thatinitially registered the newly purchased digital storage medium 120. Ifthe digital device 140 that is currently playing the digital medium 120matches the same digital device 140 that registered the digital medium120, then it is presumed that the current user of the digital medium 120is the previously registered purchaser of that storage medium 120.

If it is determined that a different digital device 140 is playing thestorage medium 120, the server 160 may instantiate a query operation tothe digital device 140. Through this query, the server 160 may notifythe digital device 140 as a user currently operating the same the deviceidentifier 150 as it corresponds to that particular digital device 140does not match the device identifier 150 as it pertains to the mediumidentifier 130 previously stored in database 180. The operator of thedisparate digital device 140 may be requested to provide userinformation as the user database 170 maintains information pertaining todevices, users, and certain media as described above.

In some instances, an initial purchaser of content may have simply takenthe content to another location to engage in game play or to view amovie (e.g., to a friend's house, that friend having their own digitaldevice 140). If the user of the digital device 140 is able to provideuser identification that corresponds to the medium identifier 130notwithstanding the disparity in device identifier 150, then certainrights and privileges may continue to be granted. If the requisiteidentification or information is not provided, then the user and/ordevice playing the medium 120 may be characterized as a secondary useror gift recipient as is further addressed below.

Among the rights and privileges associated with a particular digitalmedium 120 is the ability to transfer the digital medium 120 to anotheruser. For example, an individual may wish to sell or otherwise givedigital medium 120 to another user. A sender of a gift of digital medium120 may therefore generate a gift notification indicating the particulardigital medium being gifted (i.e., digital medium 120) and a particularrecipient. Upon receiving the gift notification, server 160 may searchuser database 170 to determine the identity of the sender and whetherthe digital medium 120 is associated with the identified sender. If thesender is associated with the digital medium 120, the sender isauthorized to transfer the digital medium 120 to the designatedrecipient.

In some instances, the sender may wish to purchase new, unused digitalmedia (i.e., digital medium 120) specifically as a gift for thedesignated recipient. In some embodiments, server 160 may host or beotherwise associated with a sales application for selling new digitalmedia. Upon purchase of new digital medium 120 by the sender, theinformation regarding the digital medium 120 may be saved to both userdatabase 170 and media database 180. The sender may, however, designatethe purchase for transfer to another user (i.e., the recipient of thegift of digital media 120). The recipient may be designated by name,address, user ID, email address, or various combinations thereof.

The designation of a recipient of a gift of digital media may berecorded in both the user database 170 and media database 180. Adatabase entry about the recipient stored in user database 170 wouldtherefore reflect the association with the digital media 120. Likewise,the database entry about the digital medium 120 includes informationregarding the association with the recipient.

The stored information regarding the transfer may further indicatewhether the recipient has received and/or registered the gift of digitalmedium 120. For example, where the digital medium 120 is downloadable,the information stored in user database 170 and/or media database 180may indicate whether the recipient has downloaded the digital medium120. Likewise, if the digital medium 120 is embodied in a storage medium(e.g., CD or DVD), the information stored in user database 170 and/ormedia database 180 may indicate whether the digital medium 120 has beenplayed or registered on a client device (i.e., client device 140B)associated with the recipient.

Where the digital medium 120 being transferred is not newly purchased asa gift (e.g., where the sender has previously used or played the digitalmedium 120), the information regarding the transfer may further indicatethat the recipient of the gift is a secondary user. If the digitalstorage media (e.g., CD or DVD) is simply given or handed over to asecondary user, the secondary user may be prompted to register thedigital media 120 before play on client device 140B. As such, server 160may encounter a disparity between device identifier 150B and mediumidentifier 130, because the original purchaser of the digital medium 120is no longer the owner of the medium 120 and has sold or given the sameto the secondary user. If the current user of the digital storage medium120 is unable to provide the correct corresponding user identificationor expressly indicates that they are a secondary owner of the digitalstorage medium 120 as noted above, then records at the user database 170and media database 180 are updated to reflect, at the very least, thatthe current user of digital medium 120 corresponding to a particularmedium identifier 130 should now be considered a secondary user.

The status of secondary user (versus an initial purchaser) may beassociated with a different set of rights and privileges with respect tothe digital medium 120. The secondary user may be able to acquire thesame rights and privileges as an initial purchaser, but only afterpurchasing those rights or upgrading to a higher classification ofowner. Toward this end, the sender of the gift of digital medium 120 mayalso include a gift of credit that can be applied toward the upgrade.The gift of credit may also be applied to other purchases of digitalmedia in the context of an online sales application or other salesoutlet associated with the credit. Information regarding the credit mayalso be stored in user database 170 in association with other recipientinformation.

In some instances, a purchaser or seller of the digital storage medium120 might preemptively update user information 210 and media information220. Information may be updated directly from a digital client device140 or through a secondary interface such as a web-based browser on acomputer. As discussed above, certain updates to user and mediainformation (210/220) may also be made at the initial point of sale as apart of the sales transaction. A user may also update a record toindicate that while they remain the original owner that they have sinceacquired a new digital client device 140 that should be associated withthe user identification or replace a preexisting device identifier 150.

FIG. 3 is a flowchart illustrating an exemplary method 300 for managinga gift of digital media. The method 300 of FIG. 3 may be embodied asexecutable instructions embodied in a computer readable storage mediumincluding but not limited to a CD, DVD, or non-volatile memory such as ahard drive. The instructions of the storage medium may be executed by aprocessor (or processors) to cause various hardware components of acomputing device hosting or otherwise accessing the storage medium toeffectuate the method. The steps identified in FIG. 3 (and the orderthereof) are exemplary and may include various alternatives,equivalents, or derivations thereof including but not limited to theorder of execution of the same.

In method 300 as illustrated in FIG. 3, a sender may designate a digitalmedium (digital medium 120) via a digital client device (client device140A), as a gift to a designated recipient. The designation triggersdelivery of a gift notification to server or other computing device(server 160) over a communications network (network 110). Thenotification may include information concerning the sender, clientdevice, and digital medium, each of which may be associated with uniqueidentifiers. Based on information in the gift notification, the senderis identified. A determination is then made as to whether the sender isauthorized to give the digital medium (e.g., the sender is a purchaserof new digital media or owner of previously-used digital media). If thesender is authorized to transfer the digital medium, the transfer isinitiated and recorded in memory. If the digital media is new, a messageis sent to the recipient concerning the gift of digital media and therights and privileges associated with the digital media. If the digitalmedia is not new (e.g., previously played by the sender or a previousowner) an offer may be presented to either the sender or the recipientconcerning an upgrade with respect to rights or privileges associatedwith the digital medium.

Embodiments of the present invention may be implemented in the contextof recommendations of digital media. A first party (who may or may notown the actual media being recommended, such as a particular digitaldownload) may make a recommendation to another party. Thisrecommendation may be based on personal experience through ownership orfirst-hand game play by the first party. Alternatively, therecommendation may be based solely on the first party having knowledgeof the particular likes (or dislikes) of a second party. Therecommendation may include a base component of the recommended digitalmedia (i.e., an actual file) or a reference or link to the same (e.g.,instructions for accessing the recommended media or a hyperlink to therecommended media). The base component accessed as a part of or in lightof the recommendation may be upgraded in accordance with a contextuallyappropriate variation of the methodology set forth herein.

If the sender accepts the offer (e.g., purchases the upgrade), themessage to the recipient may be updated accordingly. For example, themessage may simply indicate that the gift of the digital medium isassociated with certain specified rights or privileges, including theupgraded rights or privileges. Alternatively, the message may furtherindicate that in addition to the gift of the digital medium, the senderis also giving the recipient a gift of credit that can be applied towarda purchase of the upgraded rights or privileges. In some instances, itis the recipient that accepts the offer and initiates the purchase ofthe upgraded rights or privileges.

In step 310, a gift notification is received at a server or othercomputing device tasked with determining whether a sender authorized togive away particular digital media. The gift notification may concern agift of a digital medium 120 with media identifier 130 and previouslyplayed or otherwise associated with a digital client device 140A withdevice identifier 150A. When the sender designates the particulardigital media 120 for a particular recipient, a gift notification may begenerated concerning the gift designation, including the details of thedigital media 120.

A sender of the gift notification and the designated digital medium isidentified in step 320 following receipt of the gift notification ofstep 310. Using the notification information received in step 310, theserver 160 may formulate a search based on identifying the sender (i.e.,user of digital device 140A). Specifically, the server 160 may searchthe user database 170 for the unique device identifier 150A of thedigital client device 140A. The device identifier 150A may be found, forexample, in user information 210 associated with the sender. The userinformation 210 may also indicate whether the sender has previouslyregistered the digital medium 120. The server 160 may also formulate asearch for the medium identifier 130 associated with the designateddigital medium 120 and determine whether medium identifier 130 isassociated with a device identifier 150A of a client device 140Aassociated with the sender.

Based on the user information 210 of the identified sender, it is thendetermined in step 330 whether the sender is authorized to transfer thedigital medium 120 to another individual. In an exemplary embodiment, itis determined whether the sender is an initial purchaser of a new,unused copy of the digital medium 120 specifically as a gift for thedesignated recipient. Alternatively, it may be determined that thesender has previously registered the digital media for his/her ownpersonal use or play. Such information may be used to determine whetherthe sender is authorized to make a gift of the digital media and whetherthe digital media is newly purchased as a gift or previously used by thesender or previous owners.

Once the sender is determined to be authorized to make a gift of thedigital medium 120, the transfer is initiated, and information regardingthe transfer may be stored in memory (i.e., user database 170 and/ormedia database 180) in step 340. Where the digital medium 120 isdownloadable, the initiation of the transfer may involve providing therecipient with access to the downloadable digital medium (e.g.,generating a link for download). In some instances, the initiating thetransfer may involve creating a user account and allowing the recipientaccess to various online services or forums associated with the digitalmedium 120. Where the digital medium 120 is previously used/played bythe sender, the sender may be denied further access to the digitalmedium 120 and any associated rights or privileges.

The degree of such access may depend on whether the digital medium 120is new or previously used/played. In step 350, the digital medium 120may be identified as being new, unused, and/or purchased specifically asa gift for the recipient. Such a determination may be made based on anevaluation of information related to the unique medium identifier 130 ofthe digital medium 120. For example, user information 210 may indicatethat a user is an initial or secondary purchaser of digital medium 120and further, whether the user has used or played the digital medium 120.Media information 220 may also be searched for indication that thedigital medium 120 has been played on any of the digital client devices140 associated with the sender.

If the digital medium is determined to be new, the recipient is allowedall the rights or privileges associated with ownership of new, unuseddigital medium 120 in step 360. Such rights or privileges are notgenerally accessible to users who purchase or are given previously usedcopies of digital medium 120. The rights or privileges may includeimproved audio-visual quality in the play of the digital medium on thedigital device, wherein the level of audio-visual quality is superior toa level of audio-visual quality available to users belonging to a secondor different classification. The rights or privileges may also includethe ability to receive or be associated with a digital trophy related togame play or certain achievements therein. The digital trophy may, insome instances, be portable to other digital media whereby the user mayreceive a trophy in one game genre and be associated with that trophy inanother genre.

The rights or privileges may alternatively or further include theability to customize play of or interaction with the digital medium 120.For example, a user may be able to design or change aspects of differentlevels of game play. Changes may also be decorative and include skinningor allow for the introduction of particular visual interfaces or otheroverlays. Customization may also apply to introduction of sound effectsand/or the ability to introduce certain sound effects in response tooccurrence of certain events or at certain points of play of the digitalmedium. Customization may also include the ability to configure acontrol device associated with interacting with the content. Forexample, a user may not desire to play a game using a default controllerconfiguration. Customization rights or privileges may allow a user toreconfigure how a particular button or other interaction input on acontrol device results in a change or reaction with respect to thedigital medium (e.g., movement of a character).

Other rights or privileges might include additional or enhancedabilities for a character in a video game. For example, a game charactermight enjoy enhanced strength or stamina or receive certain powers nototherwise available to that character. Such enhancements or abilitiesmight be specific to a character associated with the rewarded user ormight apply to a family of characters associated with the user or othercharacters that belong to a team or clan associated with the rewardeduser.

Other rights or privileges include additional modes of game play ortutorials related to game play whereby a user may receive instructionsas to certain maneuvers or in-game interactions. A user might also begiven an additional save point for a video game whereby the save pointallows game play information to be saved at a designated moment in gameplay. As a result, the user is able to restart or ‘backup’ to theinformation at the save point rather than start over from the beginningof game play or an earlier save point that might not reflect certainefforts or accomplishments achieved since that prior save point.

Rights or privileges might also include access to related literature ormedia or other information about the game or media. Such informationmight include previews or exclusive news or other information concerningupgrades and future releases. Rights or privileges may also encompassdiscounts on related purchases either in the game or in the real worldand associated with the game or media (e.g., a discount on a secondmovie in a series or the next release in a video game franchise). Rightsor privileges might also include redeemable points that may be used toacquire various prizes or objects in the game or in the real world.

Based on the digital medium 120, the amount and type of rights orprivileges available may vary. Further, new rights or privileges maybecome available over time. The rights or privileges may be providedthrough downloading content from server 160 to client device 140. Insome cases, the content of the rights or privileges may already bestored on digital medium 120, but inaccessible until the determinationwas made in step 350 that the digital medium 120. In cases where therecipient is given a gift of previously used digital medium 120, therecipient may also be allowed access to the rights or privileges uponacceptance of an upgrade offer. Such an upgrade offer is discussed infurther detail below with respect to steps 380 and 390.

In step 370, a message is sent to notify the recipient regarding thegift of digital medium 120 from the sender. Using information from thegift notification, the user database 160 may be searched for informationidentifying the recipient, including name, address, email address, userID, etc. The message may be sent to the client device 140B associatedwith the recipient, or alternatively, to an email address associatedwith the recipient. In cases where the digital medium 120 downloadableor streamed, the message may include the link for download or streaming,as well as any required passwords. Alternatively, the message mayinclude the digital medium 120 as an attachment or otherwise provide orfacilitate access to the digital medium 120. The message may furtherinclude information regarding the various rights or privilegesassociated with the digital medium 120 and described above with respectto step 360.

In some embodiments, the digital medium 120 is determined to bepreviously used or played. As such, the recipient may only have accessto a certain set of rights or privileges that are more limited than ifthe digital medium 120 were new. A message may therefore be sent to therecipient in step 380 that includes an offer to upgrade the rights orprivileges associated with the digital medium 120. The offer may requirea payment or registration for acceptance. The incentive for acceptingsuch an offer is access to the rights or privileges associated with new,unused gifts of digital medium 120. Such an offer may encouragerecipients to convert their status from one akin to secondarypurchasers, so that they are afforded the benefits and rewards enjoyedby initial purchasers of digital media. Alternatively, the message maybe sent to the sender of the gift, in case the sender wishes to providethe upgrade as an additional gift.

In step 390, it is determined whether the offer presented in the step380 is accepted. Acceptance, as noted above, may include a payment orproviding additional registration information. Upon an indication ofacceptance, server 160 may then initiate the processing of payment orquery for more information. Where the offer is accepted by the sender,the sender may purchase the upgrade as an additional gift for thedesignated recipient. In some cases, the gift of the upgrade may beprovided in the form of “store credit” that may be applied by therecipient to a purchase of the upgrade. As such, the sender may onlyprovide part of the credit required to purchase the upgrade.

To complete the purchase of the upgrade, the recipient must then providethe remaining amount due, based on credit already held by the recipientor through further payment. Once the purchase and/or registration iscompleted, the recipient and/or digital medium 120 may then be assignedto a certain user/media classification and, as such, the recipient maybe provided with access to the rights or privileges described withrespect to step 360.

While the foregoing system and methodology has been described withrespect to incentivizing a sender to make a new purchase of media forgifting or incentivizing a recipient to upgrade, the present systems andmethods may also be used to offer disincentives to the gifting orpurchase of secondary media. The foregoing rights or privileges, insteadof being true rewards or additional benefits granted to a user may, infact, be a standard component, right, ability or other aspect of gameplay. Upon a determination that the media has been previouslyused/played, those rights or benefits might be taken away or be furtherlimited. This may be accomplished by server 160 sending a signal orother information to digital client device 140B that causes the digitalmedium 120 to be processed in such a way that those rights and benefitsare not enabled or are otherwise “blocked.” Upon upgrading or providingother registration information, the “block” may be removed and therights or privileges may be restored.

The present invention may be implemented in an application that may beoperable using a variety of end user devices. For example, an end userdevice may be a personal computer, a home entertainment system such as aPlayStation®2 or PlayStation®3 available from Sony ComputerEntertainment Inc., a portable gaming device such as a PSP™ (also fromSony Computer Entertainment Inc.), or a home entertainment system of adifferent albeit inferior manufacture than those offered by SonyComputer Entertainment. The present methodologies described herein arefully intended to be operable on a variety of devices. The presentinvention may also be implemented with cross-title neutrality wherein anembodiment of the present system may be utilized across a variety oftitles from various publishers.

Computer-readable storage media refer to any medium or media thatparticipate in providing instructions to a central processing unit (CPU)for execution. Such media can take many forms, including, but notlimited to, non-volatile and volatile media such as optical or magneticdisks and dynamic memory, respectively. Common forms ofcomputer-readable media include, for example, a floppy disk, a flexibledisk, a hard disk, magnetic tape, any other magnetic medium, a CD-ROMdisk, digital video disk (DVD), any other optical medium, RAM, PROM,EPROM, a FLASHEPROM, any other memory chip or cartridge.

Various forms of transmission media may be involved in carrying one ormore sequences of one or more instructions to a CPU for execution. A buscarries the data to system RAM, from which a CPU retrieves and executesthe instructions. The instructions received by system RAM can optionallybe stored on a fixed disk either before or after execution by a CPU.Various forms of storage may likewise be implemented as well as thenecessary network interfaces and network topologies to implement thesame.

While various embodiments have been described above, it should beunderstood that they have been presented by way of example only, and notlimitation. The descriptions are not intended to limit the scope of theinvention to the particular forms set forth herein. Thus, the breadthand scope of a preferred embodiment should not be limited by any of theabove-described exemplary embodiments. It should be understood that theabove description is illustrative and not restrictive. To the contrary,the present descriptions are intended to cover such alternatives,modifications, and equivalents as may be included within the spirit andscope of the invention as defined by the appended claims and otherwiseappreciated by one of ordinary skill in the art. The scope of theinvention should, therefore, be determined not with reference to theabove description, but instead should be determined with reference tothe appended claims along with their full scope of equivalents.

1. A method for managing authorization of a gift, the method comprising:receiving at a server a gift notification from a client deviceassociated with a sender, the gift notification concerning a digitalgift to a recipient designated by the sender; executing instructionsstored in a memory of the server, wherein execution of the instructionsby a processor at the server: verifies that the sender is authorized togive the digital gift based on matching an identifier associated withthe sender to authorization information stored in memory, and initiatesa transfer of the digital gift to the designated recipient, and storinginformation regarding the transfer of the digital gift to the designatedrecipient, the information being stored in the memory of the server; andsending a message from the server to the designated recipient concerningthe transfer of the digital gift, the message including informationconcerning rights or privileges associated with the digital gift.
 2. Themethod of claim 1, wherein the identifier associated with the sender isassociated with an identifier of the digital gift.
 3. The method ofclaim 1 wherein the sender transacted a sale to the designated recipientand wherein the gift notification further includes indication of thesale. 4.-7. (canceled)
 8. The method of claim 1, wherein the messagefurther includes an offer concerning access to increased rights orprivileges associated with one or more digital media.
 9. The method ofclaim 1, wherein the sender further designates a gift of increasedrights or privileges associated with one or more digital media, and themessage further includes information regarding a gift of credit from thesender, the gift of credit applicable toward a purchase of the increasedrights or privileges associated with the digital media.
 10. A system formanaging authorization of a gift, the system comprising: a first clientdevice associated with a sender, the first client device configured togenerate and send a gift notification concerning a digital gift to arecipient designated by the sender; a server configured to: receive thegift notification from the first client device, verify that the senderis authorized to give the digital gift based on matching an identifierof associated with the sender to authorization information stored inmemory, initiate a transfer of the digital gift to the designatedrecipient, store information regarding the transfer of the digital giftto the designated recipient, the information being stored in the memoryof the server, and send a message to the designated recipient, themessage further including information concerning rights or privilegesassociated with the digital gift; and a second client device associatedwith the designated recipient, the second client device configured toreceive the message.
 11. The system of claim 10, wherein the identifierassociated with the sender is associated with an identifier of thedigital gift.
 12. The system of claim 10, wherein the sender transacteda sale to the designated recipient and wherein the gift notificationfurther includes indication of the sale. 13.-16. (canceled)
 17. Thesystem of claim 10, wherein the message further includes an offerconcerning access to increased rights or privileges associated with oneor more digital media.
 18. The system of claim 10, wherein the senderfurther designates a gift of increased rights or privileges associatedwith one or more digital media, and the message further includesinformation regarding a gift of credit from the sender, the gift ofcredit applicable toward a purchase of the increased rights orprivileges associated with the digital media.
 19. A non-transitorycomputer-readable storage medium, having embodied thereon a program, theprogram being executable by a processor to perform a method for managingauthorization of a gift, the method comprising: receiving a giftnotification from a client device associated with a sender, the giftnotification concerning a digital gift to a recipient designated by thesender; verifying that the sender is authorized to give the digitalmedia based on matching an identifier associated with the sender toauthorization information stored in memory, initiating a transfer of thedigital gift to the designated recipient, and storing informationregarding the transfer of the digital gift to the designated recipient;and sending a message to the designated recipient concerning thetransfer of the digital gift, the message including informationconcerning rights or privileges associated with the digital gift. 20.The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 19, whereinthe message further includes an offer concerning access to increasedrights or privileges associated with one or more digital media.
 21. Thenon-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 20, wherein thesender further designates a gift of increased rights or privilegesassociated with one or more digital media, and the message furtherincludes information concerning a gift of credit from the sender, thegift of credit applicable toward a purchase of the increased rights orprivileges associated with the digital media.
 22. The method of claim 1,wherein the digital gift includes one or more redeemable points.
 23. Themethod of claim 22, wherein the redeemable points can be used to acquirea digital object to be associated with the designated recipient duringplay of or interaction with one or more digital media.
 24. The method ofclaim 22, wherein the digital gift includes a discount applicable towarda purchase of a real or digital object.
 25. The system of claim 10,wherein the digital gift includes one or more redeemable points.
 26. Thesystem of claim 25, wherein the redeemable points can be used to acquirea digital object to be associated with the designated recipient duringplay of or interaction with one or more digital media.
 27. The system ofclaim 25, wherein the gift includes a discount applicable toward apurchase of a real or digital object.
 28. The non-transitorycomputer-readable storage medium of claim 19, wherein the digital giftincludes one or more redeemable points.
 29. The non-transitorycomputer-readable storage medium of claim 28, wherein the redeemablepoints can be used to acquire a digital object to be associated with thedesignated recipient during play of or interaction with one or moredigital media.